Proxy firm Glass Lewis to integrate Sustainalytics’ ESG research into voting advice

Proxy research firm Glass Lewis is to integrate Sustainalytics’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) research and ratings on more than 10,000 companies into its research and vote management platform in what the two firms are calling a “strategic partnership”.

In the first phase of the alliance, they will co-develop a new ESG profile page derived from Sustainalytics’ data and ratings that will be featured within Glass Lewis’ Proxy Paper reports.

Users of Glass Lewis’ Viewpoint platform will be able to incorporate ESG factors into their custom voting policies as well as access the full Sustainalytics ESG dataset for analysis, screening, voting and engagement purposes. Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

Glass Lewis is owned by Canadian investment giants the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board and the Alberta Investment Management Corp. (AIMCo) – while Sustainalytics’s shareholders include Dutch pension investor PGGM and sustainable bank Triodos.PGGM’s Chief Executive Else Bos sits on the board of Sustainalytics.

Glass Lewis has 1,200 investor clients collectively managing more than $25trn.

“Just as portfolio managers and analysts are increasingly integrating ESG factors into their investment processes, those professionals responsible for their firms’ proxy voting policies and, ultimately their actual proxy votes, also need insights into how these issues are being managed within the boardroom,” said Sustainalytics’ CEO Michael Jantzi.

“We are pleased to be partnering with Glass Lewis to make these important ESG insights more accessible to governance decision-makers.”

Glass Lewis CEO Katherine Rabin said the move meant it could “immediately deliver meaningful ESG insights” to clients – “helping them understand and connect with the companies in which they invest”.